Hampton & Richmond's Moone is no lone ranger

Scoring sensation Charlie Moone says his best ever season is down to the unity and togetherness of the Hampton & Richmond Borough squad – just do not mention the play-offs.

Tuesday night’s 2-0 win over Wingate & Finchley extended the Beavers’ unbeaten run to eight matches – and it saw the forward find the net once again.

It was the club’s fourth win from five in the Ryman Premier League, and saw relentless Moone’s 31st goal in all competitions.

But the on-fire marksman fears things may unravel if talk of a push for the top five gets any louder.

His spectacular half-volley got the hosts up and running on the quarter of an hour mark, before Stuart Lake settled matters with a second after 33 minutes.

And Moone, 25, says he cannot remember a season so fruitful on a personal level.

“Without any doubt this is my best season to date,” he said after scoring for the seventh game in succession in midweek.

“I had a good season here last year and came back in the summer after a brief spell at Boreham Wood and wanted to hit the ground running again because I knew I enjoyed my football down here.

“Paul Barry and Powelly (Darren Powell) have done a great job as joint managers, it’s working well. They have made a big emphasis on team spirit and they have been looking to settle the club down a bit.

“Hampton & Richmond’s a big, good club with a strong reputation. It’s a nice place to be and the players appreciate that.

“They have got a team together that want to be together. They have brought players in with the same sort of attitude and we are building it that way. Building confidence and building togetherness.”

That feel-good factor will be put to the test this weekend at title-chasing Maidstone United, but in a division where consistency at the top end is non-existent, Hampton prepare for the game on the 3G pitch with expectancy.

High praise: Charlie Moone has put much of the Beavers success down to co-managers Paul Barry, pictured, and Darren Powell

He added: “People will now believe we can go to places like Maidstone and win after we’ve beaten Kingstonian and Wealdstone, and got a really good draw at Dulwich last Saturday.

“We’ve gone on this run, but it’s so important we don’t put pressure on ourselves by saying ‘it has to be the play-offs’.

“We just have to keep building and carry on. We’ll see where it takes us, but I don’t think it’s right to set targets.”

Hampton will be without midfielder Tom Hickey, recovering from a nose break, while Billy Jeffreys faces a further spell out after jarring his knee in the warm up on Tuesday night.

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